Grain-binder



3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. BING'HAM. Grain-Binderl o. 225,325. P at nted Mar- 9,1880.

WITNESSES NJETERS, PKOTO LITHOGAPHER WASHINGTON. D40

3 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. BINGHAM. Grain-Binder.

,325. Patented Mar. 9, 1880.

N PETER3. PHDTO-LITHOGMPHER, WASHINGTON DV UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB BINGHAM, OF WATERLOO, IOWA.

GRAIN- BINDER SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 225,325, dated March 9, 1880.

Application filed March 13, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB BINGHAM, of Waterloo, in the county of Black Hawk and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain-Binding Mechanism, of which the following is a specification,

The object of my invention is to simplify the construction and mode of operation of grain-bindingmechanism as compared with its condition heretofore; and myinvention consists in the construction and organization of parts hereinafter particularly described, and then definitely designated, and thus distinguished from what is not new in my claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a complete operative grain-bindin g mechanism embracing my improvements disconnected from a harvester, Figure l is a top or plan view of the complete mechanism Fig. 2, a side elevation; Fig. 3, a section through the line 3 of Fig. 1; and Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are detail views, the last three being on a larger scale than the others.

A designates a supporting-frame, and B a platform, on which the cut grain may be supposed to be delivered across the path of the binding-wire in a position to be bound.

0 designates a crown-wheel, to be driven, in practice, by suitable gear-connection with a harvester. It is provided on its periphery with two semicircular cams, D and D, and on its top with an eccentric, E, of circular form.

F designates a twister-arm pivoted at the rear of the frame A, and bent so as to extend over the crown-wheel and under the platform. It has an elliptic camaperture, G, by means of which it encompasses the eccentric E, and it carries the binder-arm H, pivoted at I, so as to bear, by a friction-roller, J, alternately against the cams D and D. It also carries the upper spool-bracket, K, the lower spoolbracket, L, and the wire-twister M, which gears with the fixed segment-rack N.

From this designation of the main parts and their relatii e positions, by reference to the drawings it will be perceived that when the wires are tied together, as shown in Fig. 2, the tension'devices properly adjusted, and motion is communicated to the crown-wheel in the direction of the arrow, the efl'ect will be that the eccentric E, bearing against the sides of the elliptic aperture G, will oscillate the twisterarm and all the parts it sustains horizontally and intermittingly and revolve the twister accordingly. At the same time the cams D and D, bearing alternately against the frictionrollerJ on the rear end of the binder-arm, will oscillate it vertically and intermittingly, so that it has a complex double oscillating movement, both oscillations being independently intermittent, but so regulated by the shape of the elliptic aperture G and of the cams D and D, and by the relative adjustment of these cams and the eccentric E to the parts against which they bear and which they actuate, that the movements all coincide to effect binding, as will presently be set forth more in detail.

Referring now more particularly to the smaller details of the mechanism, Fig. 4 is an end view of the upper spooLbracket, K; Fig. '5, a sectional elevation of the same through the line 5 5 of Fig. 4,-and Fig. 6 a section through the short line 6 6 of Fig. 5.

O designates a pendent spool-holder pivoted V at the top of the bracket K, so as to swing forward from the perpendicular by the pull of the wire when being drawn off over the binderarm, and then swing back again by gravity as the binder-arm rises after binding, thus taking up the slack wire that is produced by the rising of the arm.

The lower arms of each spool-bracket are connected by the spool-spindle P, which is a screw-bolt'provided with a nut at one end, by means of which nut the arms can be made to clamp more or less tightly a sleeve, Q, which carries the spool, and is slitted and flared out at one end so as to form an elastic cushion, R.

The tension of the spool is adjusted as desired by tightening or loosening the nut of the spindle'to increase or diminish the friction of the sleeve ends against the inner surfaces of the'braoket-arms, the elastic cushion preventing a too rigid engagement.

The wire-twister M is merely a small pinion housed in the outer end of the twister-arm, provided with flanges s, and having-wire notches t on opposite sides. At one side of the housing or socket of the twister is an aperture, S, into which the needle of the binding-arm carrying the wire enters.

This aperture como T, and has an inclined cam-surface, U, opposite the passage.

The needle Vis bent so as to present a projection, W, on one side and a depression, X, on the other, and is capable of yielding slightly laterally. The upper wire passes over a pulley, at, through an eye, I), and between two needle-pulleys, c. The lower wire passes under a pulley, (1,111 a downward projection of the twister-arm, up through a guide-aperture, 6, into and through one of the wire-notches of the twister, andis to be tied to the upper wire. Supposing thiscondition of the wires to exist and the twister and binder arms to be oscillated to the right side of the platform, if the crown-wheel be then revolved in the direction of the arrow, the binder'arm will be raised by the cam D, and, with the twister-arm, will move 'to the left, when it will descend, causing the wire to wrap the bundle. As the needle descends and passes into the needle-aperture the wire will be bent back on the needle so that it will cross the depression X like a bow-string, as shown in dotted lines in Figs. 7. At the same time the projection W will impinge against the cam-surface U and carry the needle and wire a little to one side. so that the wire will enter the empty wire-notch in the twister, the adjustments being such that the notch not already containing a wire will always be presented opposite the wire-passage T at the right time. As the crown-wheel continues to revolve the cam D will hold the binder-arm down, and all the oscillating mechanism will return to the right side of the platform, and the wires will be twisted together both above and below the twister.

Projecting inwardly from the frame at the right side is a fixed shear-blade,f, and a pivoted blade, g, with a spring, h, which tends to keep it open. From the blade 9 projects an arm, 70. The bite of these blades is in the path of the wires below the twister, and as they enter the bite the twister-arm strikes the arm is, and the blades are brought together to clip the wires just above the lower twist and the bundle drops, drawing the loose ends out of the twister, and leaving the Wires tied below and ready for binding another bundle.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with an oscillating binder-arm, of a pendent spool-holder and wirespool, which swings down by gravity for taking up slack wire, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the spool-holder having yielding arms, the screw-bolt spindle, and the sleeve having a spring-cushion thereon, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the crown-wheel and its eccentric and the cams D and D with the twister and binder arms, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the vibrating twisterarm, the horizontally and vertically vibrating binder-arm pivoted on the twister-arm intermediate its pivot, and the twister and the camwheel, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

J AOOB BINGHAM.

Witnesses:

FRANK H. GEORGE, THs. CASCADEN. 

